The Hill: Congress BlogBlog Briefing Room news from TheHill.comhttp://thehill.com/
Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.ISDS – Extending US constitutional rights overseas and protecting jobs at homehttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/234486-isds-extending-us-constitutional-rights-overseas-and
If you want to confuse people, take a simple concept and make it seem complicated. That is exactly what opponents of “ISDS” are doing.ISDS, or the so-called Investor State Dispute Settlement mechanism, provides guarantees in treaty language...jpicard@thehill.com (Richard Holwill)234486 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:00:04 -0500Congress BlogThe secret history of forum shopping by bankrupt businesseshttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/234481-the-secret-history-of-forum-shopping-by-bankrupt
This week, in its Congressional fly-in, the Commercial Law League of America will be proposing to change the rules that govern where businesses can file for bankruptcy. The effort by CLLA is to prevent businesses from filing for bankruptcy in...jpicard@thehill.com (John McMickle)234481 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:01:46 -0500Congress BlogLittle-known Dodd-Frank rule change may hurt start-upshttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/234359-little-known-dodd-frank-rule-change-may-hurt-start-ups
The conversation around implementation and rulemaking of the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform legislation, which became law in 2010, has been focused on issues such as margin requirements for derivatives, bans on proprietary trading (the Volcker Rule)...jpicard@thehill.com (Christopher Scott McCannell)234359 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:00:03 -0500Congress BlogCommon-sense solutions to Congressional gridlockhttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/234357-common-sense-solutions-to-congressional-gridlock
With recent revelations that a prominent climate change denier has deep links to corporate interests, Congress must overcome its obsession with the idea of giving equal time to both climate change deniers and legitimate scientists and act to pass...jpicard@thehill.com (Julia Rotondo)234357 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 14:00:03 -0500Congress BlogPreserving innovation and access to credit essential in the CFPB’s small dollar rulehttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/234344-preserving-innovation-and-access-to-credit-essential-in
There has been a revolution in financial technology and in the way consumers expect to conduct their personal business online. The Internet has democratized communications, banking, and commerce in ways that are changing on a daily basis where...jpicard@thehill.com (Lisa McGreevy)234344 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 13:00:03 -0500Congress BlogCome together, over the Fed?http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/234348-come-together-over-the-fed
Federal Reserve Board Chair, Dr. Janet Yellen, offered largely predictable testimony during last week’s hearings before the Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees. Deviations from predictions have a way of standing out. Addressing a...jpicard@thehill.com (Dino Falaschetti and Chad Reese)234348 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 12:00:03 -0500Congress BlogInhofe’s snowballhttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/education/234350-inhofes-snowball
This past week, everyone’s favorite bible citing climate change denier from congress, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), proved once and for all (in his mind) that global warming is indeed a hoax cooked up by the liberal media and those elitist climate...jpicard@thehill.com (Conor Lynch)234350 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:00:02 -0500Congress BlogFEHBP modernization would improve service, save moneyhttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/labor/234356-fehbp-modernization-would-improve-service-save-money
It is rare that our federal government has an opportunity to both serve people better and save taxpayers money, but the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) provides an opportunity to save taxpayers as much as $300 million dollars and...jpicard@thehill.com (Reps. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.))234356 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:00:03 -0500Congress BlogFeinstein is correct: Netanyahu does not speak for Jewish Americanshttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/234341-feinstein-is-correct-netanyahu-does-not-speak-for-jewish
To say that one person speaks for an entire religion or ethnicity is an egregious stretch of reason and logic. Take Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), for example. Although a Catholic, Ryan certainly did not represent the views or beliefs of the United States...jpicard@thehill.com (H.A. Goodman)234341 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:00:03 -0500Congress BlogShared services now: A common-sense step toward 21st century governmenthttp://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/technology/233998-shared-services-now-a-common-sense-step-toward-21st-century
What if there was a common sense way to save $50 billion per year in taxpayer dollars by streamlining and modernizing the federal bureaucracy – with no adverse impacts on critical missions or programs? What if modernization also enhanced...jpicard@thehill.com (John Marshall)233998 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 08:00:03 -0500Congress BlogThe strategic imperative of U.S.-Israel commercehttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/234331-the-strategic-imperative-of-us-israel-commerce
The U.S.-Israel relationship has been under a microscope ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington. While shared national security issues will continue to dominate the discussions between the governments – as they will...jpicard@thehill.com (Myron Brilliant)234331 at http://thehill.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 07:00:03 -0500Congress BlogWhy we need the &#039;No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act&#039;http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/234159-why-we-need-the-no-taxpayer-funding-for-abortion-act
When the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act” on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade—a critical bill that would comprehensively and permanently restrict federal taxpayer...jpicard@thehill.com (Mary E. Harned)234159 at http://thehill.comMon, 02 Mar 2015 17:00:03 -0500Congress BlogThe case for strong data protection in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreementhttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/234160-the-case-for-strong-data-protection-in-the-trans-pacific
Sixteen years ago, my mother was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer and, after a brave fight, passed away nine months later. After this devastating event, I decided to devote my life to raising awareness about colorectal cancer and increasing...jpicard@thehill.com (Andrew Spiegel)234160 at http://thehill.comMon, 02 Mar 2015 16:00:02 -0500Congress BlogCompassion and numbers: Why ACA should be upheldhttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/234155-compassion-and-numbers-why-aca-should-be-upheld
How do you tell 6.5 million people that they no longer have health insurance, some of whom just received coverage for the very first time? How do you take away affordable healthcare, especially from someone on an already limited income? That’s...jpicard@thehill.com (Anthony R. Tersigni)234155 at http://thehill.comMon, 02 Mar 2015 15:00:03 -0500Congress BlogLEED leads in government constructionhttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/234153-leed-leads-in-government-construction
A recent government study verified what many builders and developers across the country already know – buildings that have LEED certification save taxpayer money and have a lower environmental impact over time than buildings not certified by LEED....jpicard@thehill.com (Roger Platt)234153 at http://thehill.comMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:00:04 -0500Congress BlogBoomer MRDs could bolster safety nethttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/234149-boomer-mrds-could-bolster-safety-net
You know the safety net is in danger when lawmakers fire away and claim they’re trying to save it. On the first day of the new Congress, the House warned that Social Security benefits might need “saving”. The Congressional Budget Office twice ran...jpicard@thehill.com (Gerald E. Scorse)234149 at http://thehill.comMon, 02 Mar 2015 13:00:03 -0500Congress Blog